Although the governor of the state of New York had announced that it was paused indefinitely, the New York Congestion Pricing Program will go into effect as of Sunday, January 5, 2025 at midnight pursuant upon approval by the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at its next meeting on Monday, November 18, 2024.
New York Congestion Pricing Program to Start January 5 2025
Congestion pricing rates for entering the Central Business District of Manhattan south of East 60 Street and West 60 Street have been reduced by 40 percent from the initial proposal — which means that during the day, they will cost drivers of:
- Passenger vehicles: $9.00 per day — was initially going to cost $15.00 per day
- Small trucks: $14.40 per day — was initially going to cost $24.00 per day
- Large trucks and sightseeing buses: $21.60 per day — was initially going to cost $36.00 per day
- Motorcycles: $4.50 per day — was initially going to cost $7.50 per day
- Taxi Cabs and black cars: $0.75 per ride — was initially going to cost $1.25 per ride
- Rideshare and for-hire vehicles: $1.50 per ride — was initially going to cost $2.50 per ride
Additionally:
- Tunnel crossing credits are reduced by 40 percent of the original plan
- Nighttime discounts will be 75 percent of daytime tolls
Additionally, some eligible drivers will receive additional discounts, credits, and exemptions — such as a low-income volume discount or a qualified disability exemption.
This means that New York will once again become the first city in the United States to implement a congestion pricing program — despite that the plan faced fierce opposition from numerous political organizations and consumer groups.
While the toll structure under this plan is lower than the tolls initially proposed, it will still enable the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to leverage $15 billion in bonds for the current Capital Program of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over time — the same goal for the congestion pricing program. This includes supporting current Capital Program initiatives — including:
- Second Ave Subway Phase 2 extension to East Harlem
- Modern signal systems on segments of the A and C lines and B, D, F, and M lines for greater than 1.5 million daily riders
- Accessibility improvements at greater than 20 stations
- Hundreds of new electric buses
Additionally, the administration expects to achieve congestion reduction and air quality benefits set forth in the environmental review for the congestion pricing program, including a reduction of five percent in vehicle miles traveled and a reduction of ten percent in the number of vehicles entering the Central Business District of Manhattan.
Pursuant to the plan proposed by Hochul, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will not raise the initial tolls beyond the following percentages of the approved structure:
- 60 percent — for example, a $9 daytime automobile E-ZPass toll — from 2025 through 2027
- 80 percent — for example, a $12 daytime automobile E-ZPass toll — from 2028 through 2030
The congestion pricing plan commits to funding the low-income discount and every place-based and regional mitigation as already has been committed — including:
- $15 million to replace diesel-powered Transport Refrigeration Units at Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx
- $20 million to establish an asthma center and case management program in the Bronx
- $20 million to implement electric truck charging infrastructure
- $10 million to install air filtration units in schools near highways
- $10 million to install roadside vegetation
- $25 million to renovate parks and greenspace
- $20 million to expand the NYC Clean Trucks Program
- $5 million to expand the NYCDOT Off-Hours Delivery Program
- A 75 percent discounted overnight toll to reduce diversions and encourage off-hours truck deliveries
- A 50 percent discount on the daytime E-ZPass toll rate after the first 10 trips in each calendar month for low-income drivers
This video highlights Hochul explaining the details of the future of transit and traffic in the city of New York.
The reaction via social media has not been kind to Hochul with regard to the latest news pertaining to the New York Congestion Pricing Program, which will be a hard sell to many people.
New York is moving forward with congestion pricing & a plan that strengthens public transit while putting commuters first.
Here’s how ⤵️
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 14, 2024
Phil Murphy — who is the current governor of the state of New Jersey — vehemently opposes the New York Congestion Pricing Program as stated in this official press release:
“I am firmly opposed to any attempt to force through a congestion pricing proposal in the final months of the Biden Administration. All of us need to listen to the message that voters across America sent last Tuesday, which is that the vast majority of Americans are experiencing severe economic strains and still feeling the effects of inflation. There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure.
“New Jersey has never been meaningfully consulted on the design of this plan, either in its initial iteration or the version that was announced today. Perhaps that is because this effort has always simply been a way to take money from the pockets of New Jersey residents to bail out the MTA from a mountain of debt.
“I have consistently expressed openness to a form of congestion pricing that meaningfully protects the environment and does not put unfair burdens upon hardworking New Jersey commuters. Today’s plan woefully fails that test.
“I urge Governor Hochul to reconsider the plan, and I urge all elected officials in the region — including those set to take office in January — to speak out against this proposal. Meanwhile, my administration will continue the fight to block this plan in court.”
Final Boarding Call
Toll costs are already out of control in New York:
- Bridges and tunnels which cross the East River cost between $6.94 and $12.55 each way for passenger vehicles
- Bridges and tunnels which cross the Hudson River cost between $13.38 and $17.63 for passenger vehicles from New Jersey into New York
Additionally, the New York Congestion Pricing Program effectively converts crossings with no toll — such as the Brooklyn Bridge or Manhattan Bridge — to toll crossings.
I personally do not like the idea of having to pay to enter lower Manhattan when driving. One reason is if I am going from Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island to points west of the Hudson River and I want to stop at Katz’s Delicatessen to pick up some pastrami sandwiches, I would have to pay $9.00 extra just to do that. Among some of the significant issues that had remained unresolved, where will motorists park their vehicles to take subways or buses into Manhattan — especially if they are from out of town?
Ironically, Hochul was initially strongly in favor of the program when she said that “Congestion pricing means cleaner air, better transit and less gridlock on New York City’s streets”. Then, she said that “…after careful consideration, I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time.”
I wrote in this article on Thursday, June 6, 2024, “Does that fact that 2024 is an election year have anything to do with the reversal of this decision even though she is up for reelection in 2026?”
Now that the election of 2024 has passed, those “risks” of “too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers” — and for visitors of New York, for that matter — apparently have magically disappeared…
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
